A Silver Lining for Every One of Life's Aches and
by charmony
Summary: NPH 2 - Emily and Jack discover even owies can be fun after an accident leaves Emily stuck behind while Hotch and the team go away on a case.


**A/N: I really feel strongly that someone should invent a machine that should just hook up to your brain and as you think the words the machine types them. My brain is by a long shot faster than my fingers and by far more active as well. I was going to have this little story out many hours ago but I kept getting distracted by what I wanted to write in this series further down the track and before I knew it I'm thinking about bed and the story is unfinished. Maybe **_**I'll**_** be the one to invent that machine...**

**Hey, thanks for the reviews, romiross and anonymous and also thanks to those who liked the story and added it to their favourites. I'm sorry I made you cry romiross but I'm glad it was in a good way. Hope you both like this one too.**

**PLEASE NOTE: This is NPH 2. If you aren't already following this series, I recommend that you make your way to my author profile page and start with NPH 1, as some or all of this will not make sense otherwise.**

**DISCLAIMER: I sadly do not own Criminal Minds, its storylines or characters. I can only claim to manipulate them for the purposes of this story.**

**Enjoy...**

A Silver Lining for Every One of Life's Aches and Pains

"Hotch? You got a minute?"

Hotch gestured her in without looking up so Emily moved gingerly forward and eased her aching body down in the not so comfortable chair in front of her boss's desk and waited patiently for him to finish up with what he was doing. She was completely content to wait, as long as she didn't have to move and now that she was stationary, the chair wasn't really _that_ uncomfortable.

It was almost five minutes before he looked up and did a double take as he frowned.

"What the hell happened to you and what are you doing here at work looking like that?"

Emily smiled dryly and winced as it pulled at the stitches along her hairline. "Both of those questions are excellent. According to witness reports, two very large teens went running through the crowd of people leaving the same club I was leaving late Friday night. I had my keys in hand and the valet had just brought my car around when one of the teens snatched the keys from my hand and threw me into a nearby wall. This knocked me unconscious so I don't actually remember any of it. He kicked me while I was on the ground while the other guy grabbed the valet and treated him similarly and then they jumped in my car and tore away in it."

"Did you press charges?"

"I might have if they hadn't wrapped the car around a tree at over a hundred miles an hour. The police believe they were both drunk and high. Not that it matters anymore since they are both dead and my car is beyond totalled."

"What are your injuries?"

She pointed carefully to her head. "Concussion with 3 stitches, sprained wrist, 2 cracked ribs from where I was kicked and numerous bruises and cuts. I've been cleared to ride a desk and help out here in the office til January without issue. I'm also restricted from getting too physical til then because of the damage to my ribs and for the next two weeks I am unable to fly due to the concussion."

"So essentially you are sidelined for the next seven to eight weeks."

"Sounds about right."

"Did you want a little more time off the job to recuperate?"

Emily smiled and winced again. "No; truly it looks worse than it is. If I'm sitting quietly at a desk I can cope with it okay. It's only when I have to move about that it hurts."

"Alright then. Just let me know if you need anything, alright?

"Will do."

He stood as she made her slow way to the door and moved to the window to watch her walk down to the bullpen. She must have slipped past everyone earlier for he could see the shock clearly written on their faces as they obviously questioned what had happened to her.

He shuddered just slightly as he thought about how much pain she must be in and smiled just slightly as he watched everyone fuss over her despite her growing annoyance and apparent insistence that she was fine.

Yes, he'd definitely make sure she was fine before he let her come back to work in a greater capacity; he definitely needed to take care of his girl.

He frowned at that stray thought and banished it from his mind as he returned to his desk and the work that waited for him.

New Section-

Emily watched the guys around her gather up their gear and gritted her teeth against the annoyance of being stuck behind. She only had another two days before she was allowed to fly again, but Hotch wouldn't budge when she mentioned slipping onto the plane early and everyone else had backed him up which meant she'd be stuck working on this end and wanting what she couldn't have _yet again_.

_Just two more frickin' days. This case couldn't have waited just two more days?_

"Prentiss, stop grinding your teeth. It's not only bad for them but it won't change things in relation to this case. I can however give you something important to occupy yourself with while we are gone that is to me even more important than what we are about to work on."

Emily pulled a sweet smile from somewhere and turned to her boss as she imagined strangling him with his own lovely red tie. That held a huge amount of appeal at that moment.

"What can I do for you Hotch?"

He smiled just slightly as he took in the sweetness of her smile and the murderous look in her eyes. He pushed laughter back down his throat knowing it wouldn't help the situation any to piss her off more than she already was.

"Jess usually looks after Jack for me when I go away on cases but her family is away on vacation at the moment. I was going to leave Jack with the woman who would normally look after him if Jess isn't available, but he has a slight case of the sniffles and the woman is absolutely panicked that she'll get sick so close to her European holiday so she won't take him. I was hoping I could talk you into taking a couple of days off and looking after him for me. You'd also get 24 hours to recuperate after I return."

He watched as her entire countenance changed and softened and she beamed at him. "I'd love to look after Jack for you. My place or yours?"

"Considering his sniffles, having the comfort of familiar surroundings is better for him so if you wouldn't mind coming round, that would be appreciated. I just have time to take him home and give you a rundown on everything if you can be ready to go in the next two minutes."

She nodded eagerly and bent down for her bag, stifling the gasp moving too fast produced as pain shot through her ribs. Luckily Hotch had already turned away to collect his son from his office. They'd been called in late in the evening and now it made sense why Jack had come along with his father rather than being left with a sitter.

She moved to the bottom of the stairs and waited for him to reach them. He spoke briefly with Morgan and then gestured her to follow as they moved to the lift.

New Section-

Emily watched Jack Hotchner sleep and wondered if his father was completely crazy. Hotch had given her free run of the whole apartment. She could make what she wanted out of the cupboard, use whatever she could find in the way of supplies to entertain Jack and when night time hit and it was time for bed, she could sleep on the couch which was not really _that_ comfy; or she could sleep in his bed.

If Emily's ribs didn't still ache all the time, she knew what she'd be choosing without having to think about it. But she had no choice unless she wanted to wake in more pain than she went to sleep with.

But the repercussions were going to be huge.

New Section

Emily opened her eyes and smiled as she saw Jack standing in front of her. The smile died though as she saw how solemn he was.

"Hey baby. How are you feeling this morning?"

"I feel terrible," he said as he sniffed loudly and wiped his nose on her sleeve. "Did daddy go away on the case?"

"Yeah he did sweetheart; I'll be staying with you til he returns because aunt Jess is away at the moment. Did you want to hop in here with me for a cuddle while we figure out what we want to do today?"

Jack nodded and slipped in under the covers with her. She snuggled him close carefully and lightly kissed his head as he sighed softly and sniffled again.

_What a delightful way to wake up in the morning. And what a potent combination; sexy adult male smells combined with sweet little boy smells. Wait, no, don't think about it; focus Emily._

"I was thinking since we are stuck inside today while you get better that we could start the day with pancakes with chocolate in them. How does that sound?"

"Sounds good Miss Em'ly."

"You can just call me Emily baby. You don't need to worry about calling me Miss."

"'Kay."

"After breakfast I thought we might see what we can find to draw with and see if we can write and illustrate a book. We can work on this all day and then if we have time later we could watch a movie."

Jack nodded with a little more enthusiasm so Emily sent him off to choose what he wanted to wear for the day while she got up and dressed. She found him putting on his own clothing and rather than take over, encouraged him in how to do it as she praised him for doing it so well.

In the kitchen 5 minutes later she pulled out the ingredients and directed him in how he could help with breakfast. When done the pancakes were soft and fluffy and delicious and Jack giggled a bit as he stated that he'd eaten too many. Emily saved the rest of the batter for later and they tidied up together before going in search of what they'd need to write a book.

New Section-

"Hotch, are you coming?"

"Yeah Dave, I'll be there in a minute. I'm just going to call Prentiss and see how she's going with Jack."

He dialled his home number and waited while it rang. Concern filled him as the answering machine kicked in and he heard his voice requesting name, number and a brief message. The beep had just sounded when the phone clicked, sounded like it was dropped and then a breathless-voiced Emily said "Hello?"

"Did you run a marathon or something?"

She laughed and it did something to his heart he wasn't going to even think about as he caught the husky-breathless undertones to it.

"Not quite, though it feels a bit like it. Ouch. Hey Jack, daddy called to say hi."

He heard a faint cheer. "I actually called to see how you were holding up."

"I'm touched. Let me get my breath back while you talk to Jack and then I'll answer your question?"

Jack came on the phone and excitedly talked about his day including how much fun it had been to watch boogers drip out of his nose and into the pot. Hotch decided to be a smart man and wait for the adult in the equation to answer questions about that. He asked a couple of other questions before telling his son he loved him and goodnight. Jack told him he loved him too and missed him and then he disappeared off the phone and Emily came back on.

"Do I _want_ to know about the boogers?"

She laughed again and he was surprised to find he was disappointed to hear that it was just her normal laugh again.

"I remembered when I was young my dad used to put some Vicks Vaporub in a pot of boiled water when I was ill and he'd get me to lean over the pot and inhale the vapours with a towel over my head. It would usually not only clear up congestion in my chest but it would make my blocked nose clear up and I would usually wake feeling much better in the morning. What I'd forgotten was how gross it was to watch snot drip out of my nose. Today I learned boys would think it is really cool while girls would feel faint at the sight of it. On the up side though, Jack is sounding and looking much better and the slight temperature he had at lunch has already cleared up completely."

He complimented her on that move and queried her health. He was concerned to hear her sigh.

"Do you know I never really babysat as a teen and though I've spent considerable time with JJ, Will and Henry, playing with a baby is nothing compared to playing with an active almost five year old while I am in constant pain. I have no doubt that as soon as Jack is asleep, I will be too."

"Is it too much?"

"What? Oh, no, not really. I'm just sore in the chest is all. I forgot my ribs entirely and picked him up to get him in the bath. I should have just steadied him as he climbed in but I suppose hindsight is a wonderful thing. I'll be fine."

They spoke for another couple of minutes before she went to help Jack get ready for bed. Hotch put away his phone content with the knowledge that he'd chosen the right woman to watch over his precious son for him at this time.

New Section-

By the third day, Emily had figured out that taking a nap with Jack after lunch was the only way to not fall asleep during dinner so after setting her alarm, she caught a couple of hours sleep with Jack and woke to a winter wonderland. She soaked in the beauty of the white-washed ground before she raced down to Jack's room to wake him up. He was just as excited as she was to see the snow so they rugged up warmly and went for a walk to the park. A snowball fight ensued followed by the building of a rather small and slightly lopsided snowman, which Emily dutifully took photos of so Jack could show his father his handiwork. Jack then made a snow angel while Emily took a video and praised his talent before insisting they head back to the apartment before it got any darker.

It started to snow again before they reached the complex and by the time they made their way in the front door it was snowing in earnest. She shut the door quickly and made sure the heater was working before bundling them both down to the bathroom to get warm and dry. An hour later they sat down to soup and toast and then curled up on the couch with Jack's favourite movie. Emily pulled a blanket down off the back of the couch and tucked them in as Jack snuggled closer and made a sound of contentment.

Emily shifted slightly to ease the pressure in her ribs and yawned as she looked at the clock. Hotch had left a message while they were out stating the case had wrapped up and he would be home by 8. She doubted he'd get here as fast as he'd like to with the snow but she figured they could stay awake a little longer just in case he did.

New Section-

Aaron put his keys in the bowl by the front door and listened to the noises in the place. All he could hear was the quiet sound of the tv in the living room so he walked in that direction and stopped dead in the doorway as his heart lurched to a stop.

Emily and Jack had obviously meant to wait up for him and had just as obviously lost the battle to do so. Emily's head was pillowed on a couple of cushions with one arm up above her head. Her other arm was draped around Jack, who's head was pillowed on her chest and he had to squash a sudden surge of longing to be exactly where his son was now.

He set his bag down on the coffee table and walked quietly forward. He moved the blanket out of the way and eased his son into his arms, deciding to let Emily sleep just a little longer before he woke her and sent her home. He settled Jack in his bed and covered him up, taking much needed time to watch his son sleep before heading back to his guest.

Emily had obviously woken up while he was with Jack and was yawning hugely as he re-entered the room.

"Hey, you made it home in one piece. I wasn't sure that was going to happen tonight what with the weather and all."

He took a deep breath to slow his racing heart as she watched him sleepily. All his mind and body wanted to do was take a trip down memory lane and he was struggling to remember this woman was unavailable to him as he took in her sweet smile.

"I got lucky enough to get a car with chains on the tires and then luckier still with a snow plough out working to clear the roads. I mentioned to the guy that it'd been days since I'd seen my son and he decided to clear the surrounding streets sooner rather than later."

"That was nice of him. Is Jack settled in bed? I'll just go say goodnight, grab my gear and head on home."

"You don't have to rush off; if you want to join me for coffee first you'd be more than welcome."

"Thank you, but as much as I love and adore your son, he is still a very tiring human being to be around when I am less than at my best. I need to crash in my own bed for at least the next 24."

He watched as she stumbled down the hall and then ordered his traitorous body to behave as he poured himself a finger of brandy and took a calming sip. By the time Emily returned with her bag in hand, he had his mind under control and his body in submission, though not as well as he'd thought as he took in the messy tumble of her hair and her rumpled clothing.

He put down his glass and walked her to the door.

"Thank you for watching Jack for me. It sounded like he had so much fun."

"The feeling was mutual. Make sure you ask him about the book, the sculptures and the trip to the park; he has show and tell for all three events and he's excited about showing you how super-talented he is."

"Will do. Are you sure you don't want to stay a little longer and make sure you are properly awake before you drive home?"

"I would be better off leaving now; if I stay much longer I'll drift back into sleep. If I go now I have better odds of making it all the way home before I crash. If it makes you feel better, I'll phone you before I go to bed."

He looked at her where she leaned back against the doorframe and wondered if she'd hit him if he reacquainted his mouth with hers. He suddenly found he was closer than he'd been a moment ago with anticipation washing through him as her lips parted and she sighed softly. But that soft sound jerked him back to reality and he put a foot between them as he reached back to grip the door handle hard enough to leave marks on his skin and clear out the last vestiges of his desire.

"You should head off then," he stated, wincing slightly at the harshness of his tone as she blinked startled eyes up at him. He softened his tone as he added, "And please do phone me when you arrive home. I want to be sure you are safe and sound before I hit my own bed."

She nodded slowly and murmured goodnight as she eased away from the door and headed down the hall towards the exit to the complex. He watched until she disappeared from view and berated himself for being twice a fool with a woman as unattainable as Emily Prentiss.

End-

**A/N: If you picked up on the little references scattered through the story alluding to the past between Emily and Hotch, watch this space because I will be coming back with an explanation soonest.**


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